1) Field of Disclosure
This disclosure relates to hazardous area classification. The present disclosure has particular applicability to systems and methods for classifying hazardous areas by use of calculations based on certain parameters and generating visual representations based on the calculations.
2) Description of Related Art
Hazardous area classification is an important aspect of operating a materials processing facility. Currently, manufacturers and processors of chemical compounds must meet guidelines for safety. The United States standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment is the National Electrical Code (NEC), or NFPA 70. NFPA 70 is a part of the National Fire Codes series published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In addition, oil refineries must meet standards set by the American Petroleum Institute (API), an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standards developing organization, such as API RP 500.
Conventional methods of meeting the above guidelines consisted of hand drafted maps identifying hazardous areas. However, calculations involving detailed aspects of complicated mixtures of materials are difficult and time consuming. Furthermore, the ability to construct hand drawn maps requires advanced knowledge of drafting or map making. Moreover, conventional hand drafted maps do not show certain information, such as the extent of hazardous ranges, or heights and elevations of hazardous areas.